Homemade Red Sauce for Pasta
An easy, homemade red sauce recipe for pasta using canned tomatoes, garlic, and onion. Super flavorful and freezes great! It is a must-make for anywhere you like marinara sauce.
This is the first recipe that I ever learned how to make and I’ve made it so often, I could probably do it in my sleep.
My mom made this sauce at least two times a week when I was growing up, and paired it with everything from spaghetti with meatballs to homemade manicotti to baked eggplant lasagna.
While I still use jarred sauce, I almost always have a few jars of this sauce tucked away in my freezer. It also doubles and triples beautifully, so feel free to share extras with loved ones or store them in freezer-safe containers for later (these freezer cubes for sauce and soups are my favorite.)
See below for more details and tips for success, or scroll down to the full recipe below.
Everything You Need to Make This Red Sauce:
Ingredient Notes
As with most simple recipes, the ingredients matter! The quality of tomatoes really matters, and I can tell a difference when I use different brands.
I try and buy the best tomatoes when I make this sauce. I swear by the brands Hunt’s, Muir Glen, and San Marzano. Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods brands also have good tomatoes.
As the flavor of tomatoes can vary from can to can and brand to brand, you may need to adjust the seasonings at the end, adding a splash of vinegar, more salt, etc.
My grandmother used to add a whole carrot to simmer with the sauce if she felt her tomatoes were too bitter and needed a little more sweetness. Then, she removed the carrot at the end.
The bay leaf adds a lot of flavor to the sauce; please don’t omit it! You can adjust more oregano or red pepper flakes if you like. Especially if you like spicy sauce (try my Arrabbiata Sauce if you do!), then you can add more red pepper flakes– if it’s just adults, I’ll add a heaping 1/2 teaspoon or so.
How to Make Red Sauce
Saute the Aromatics
Saute the onion and pepper in olive oil until very tender. Add in the spices and the minced garlic.
Add the tomatoes
Crush the whole tomatoes with your hand and add to the onion with all of the tomato juice along with the tomato sauce. Add in the bay leaf and salt and simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve
Season and adjust as desired (see notes) and serve as desired. We love with pasta and a little parmesan cheese!
Tips for Success
This red sauce recipe is adaptable depending on how you like your red sauce. A lot of the flavor will depend on what canned tomatoes you use.
I recommend tasting the sauce while it’s simmering. If your sauce is too heavy, then I recommend adding in a splash of red wine or vinegar to help brighten and cut through the richness.
If it’s not sweet enough, I recommend adding a cut carrot and letting that simmer with the sauce. The carrot will infuse some of its sweetness and then remove it right before serving.
The bay leaf adds a lot of subtle flavor, and I don’t recommend skipping it. (It’s my secret in so many recipes, especially my soup recipes!) It adds a certain “je ne sais quoi” that rounds out the flavors of the tomatoes and onions, creating a more well-balanced and satisfying taste.
This red sauce hasn’t been verified for canning safety. If you are looking for a homemade tomato sauce for canning, then I recommend checking out my recipe specifically for canning. If you have fresh tomatoes, then I recommend using my fresh tomato sauce recipe instead.
Where to Use Red Sauce
You can use this red sauce anywhere you would typically use marinara sauce or jarred sauce. It’s great in lasagna– try it in my vegetarian spaghetti squash lasagna, lasagna roll-ups, and my vegan lasagna recipe.
This sauce is also great in baked pasta recipes like my baked vegetarian ziti and vegetarian pasta bake recipe.
If you make this red sauce, make sure to come back to leave a comment and a rating. Your feedback helps other readers, and seeing you make my recipes makes my day!
Homemade Red Sauce for Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium white or yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup red wine for deglazing*
- 1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes
- 1 28 ounce can tomato sauce**
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large stock pan over medium heat. Add the onion and green bell pepper and cook until the onion is translucent and the bell pepper is tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add in the dried oregano, crushed red pepper, bay leaf, and garlic, and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the spices are fragrant and the garlic has almost melted into the onion/pepper mixture.
- Add in the red wine and use a wooden spoon to gently scrape up the browned bits of onion. Let simmer for 5 minutes until some red wine evaporates and is cooked down.
- Add in the whole tomatoes, crushing them with your hands to break them down, and all of the juices from the can. Add in the can of red sauce and a big pinch of salt and pepper— I usually start with 1/2-1 teaspoon of salt and go from there, depending on the brand of tomatoes you use.
- Reduce heat to low. Cover, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes. Season to taste as needed– depending on the tomatoes you use, you may need to add more salt or even a splash of vinegar/sugar to balance.